Subway, tramway construction



Sept. 10, 1935. J B STRAU'SS 2,013,703

SUBWAY, TRAMWAY CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 6, 1951 Patented Sept. 10, 1935 SUBWAY, TRAMWAY CONSTRUCTION Joseph B. Strauss, Chicago, 111.

Application August 6, 1931, Serial No. 555,640

3 Claims.

This invention relates to subway tram-way constructions and has for its object to provide a new and improved construction of this description. The invention has as a further object to provide a subway construction wherein the depth of excavation is greatly decreased. The invention has as a further object to provide a subway construction where the roof girders of the subway become the supporting girders for the air tram system. The invention has other objects which are more particularly pointed out in the accompanying description.

Referring now to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view showing a typical construction;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view at a station point.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

Referring now to the drawing I have shown a subway air tram construction consisting of a subway built under the street, or at other points, and provided with the car passageways l and 2 and at intervals along the subway at the center thereof with the supports 3. This support may of course be continuous if desired. The roof sections t and 5 of the subway, and on which the street may be laid, are supported by girders ii and l, which are shown as being of inverted U-shape or steel brackets having their lower ends carried by the supports 8 and 9. Cantilevered members H1 extend inwardly from the bottom of the girder I and carry the rails ll, upon which the wheels l2 of the trucks run, which support the cars 13. The girder E has similarly inwardly projecting cantilevered members M, which carry the rails IS in a similar manner.

At each side of the tunnel are arranged inspection galleries l6 and H which communicate with the main subway by means of openings l8 and I9. Above these galleries are conduits 2B and 2| for conductors, cables, pipes and the like. There is also a gallery 22 between the two tracks which have openings 23 and 26. These galleries are particularly useful for maintenance and inspection purposes.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a sectional View at a station. In this construction the subway is enlarged at the sides so as to form the station coinpartments 25 and 26, having the station platforms 27 and 23, and the platforms 29 and 30 extending into the main subway, and by means of which the passengers pass into and out of the cars.

It will be seen that by means of this construction, wherein the roof girders become the supporting girders for the air tram system, great economy is efiected, and this also decreases the depth to which the subways must be excavated, providing a further saving in cost. be seen that by this arrangement the air tram cars may pass from the structures in the open air into the subways and out of the subways back to such open air structures.

I claim:

1. A subway tram construction comprising an excavated passageway, a series of arched cross girders therealong extending across the top of said passageway, upright supports upon which the ends of said arched cross girders rest, laterally projecting supports connected with said arched cross girders near the lower ends of said arched cross girders, said laterally projecting supports having their adjacent ends separated, tracks on said laterally projecting supports and cars suspended from said tracks.

2. A subway tram construction comprising an excavated passageway, a series of inverted U- shaped cross girders therealong, extending across the top of said passageway, upright supports which project under the ends of said inverted U- shaped cross girders, and a track construction beneath said roadway, said track construction comprising laterally extending supports connected with said inverted U-shaped cross girders and projecting under a portion of the ends thereof longitudinal girders, and an open passageway between them and through the cross girders.

3. A subway tram construction comprising an excavated passageway, a series of inverted U shaped cross girders therealong extending across the top of said passageway, upright supports upon which the ends of said arched cross girders rest, laterally projecting supports connected with the lower ends of said U-shaped cross girders and projecting below the inner portion of said inverted U-shaped girders and having their ends separated by a space, and a track construction beneath said roadway, said track construction comprising longitudinal girders carried upon the ends of said laterally extending supports, and an open passageway between them and through the cross girders, tracks mounted on said longitudinal girders, trucks mounted on said tracks, and cars suspended from said trucks and travelling beneath the cross girders in said excavated passageway.

JOSEPH B. STRAUSS.

It will also 5 

